


There For Me

by SeafoamSoul



Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-21 01:22:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17033688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeafoamSoul/pseuds/SeafoamSoul
Summary: You’re forced to ride with Braun from town to town and learn something about him - he loves to sing in the car.





	There For Me

“Oh, fuck me,” I spat, stepping away from the car rental counter. They had messed up my rental car reservation and now I was stuck without a way to get to the arena.

“Is that an offer?” Braun asked, sly smile on his face as he walked up next to me.

“Ha. Ha.” I rolled my eyes, scoffing out a laugh. “They lost my reservation.”

“You can ride with me,” Braun offered, dangling his keys in front of me. “Got an SUV. More leg room. Space to nap when the other is driving.”

“Who else is riding with you?” I asked, looking around. Most of the roster was already gone, only a few stragglers left behind.

“Dana was supposed to, but she decided to ride with someone else at the last minute,” Braun explained. “So what do you say?”

“I say that the universe obviously wanted us to ride together,” I laughed. “As long as you’re sure you’re alright with it.”

“Yeah, it’s not a problem. Come on.” Braun lead me to the parking lot, weaving through the cars parked there. I followed after him, my legs taking three steps for every one of his. Perks of trying to keep up with an almost 7 foot tall monster.

“So what’s up with you and Dana anyway?” We had just thrown our bags in the trunk, getting situated in the front with Braun in the driver’s seat.

“I don’t know,” Braun replied, sighing as he started out of the parking lot. “We were riding together and hanging out but recently she just stopped. No explanation, nothing.”

“Yeah, I thought you guys were getting pretty close,” I mused, turning to study Braun.

Braun and I were friends, to a degree. We hung out when we were on the road, but outside of that, we never really made a conscious effort to hang out and spend time together. That’s how I was with most of the roster, though, so it didn’t really bother me. I tend to keep to myself, try not to bother anyone.

Braun shrugged, glancing over at the GPS. “It’s not a big deal. What’s with you, though? Who were you gonna ride with?”

“Oh, no one. Was planning on making the trek myself,” I replied, copying his shrug.

“You were planning on making all the trips alone? All week?” Braun’s eyes were wide as they turned to focus on me.

“Yeah, I do it every time. Not a big deal,” I assured him, gesturing to the road to get him to pay attention to the surrounding drivers.

“That explains why you look so tired at the end of each tour,” Braun mused, gazing out the window. “But from now on, you’ll ride with me. Riding by yourself just means more stress for you.”

“I promise, I’m a big girl, Braun,” I laughed, shaking my head at him. “I can handle myself.”

“You can but you shouldn’t have to. So now you’re traveling with me.” There was no room in Braun’s voice for an argument, but I didn’t want him to feel like he had to travel with me.

“What if Dana wants to travel with you again?” I asked, turning to study him.

Braun’s eyes cut to me again before focusing back on the road in front of him. “She won’t. Trust me.”

“Are you gonna tell me about what happened?” I prodded, eyes still focused on him.

“Are you gonna tell me why you travel by yourself?” Braun fired back. I didn’t answer, letting silence fall over us for the rest of the ride.

============================

I noticed it that first week we travelled together. Braun sings along to the radio. Not loud, at least not the first couple of weeks. We spent that time trying to get acclimated to travelling together, finding out how to function together. We continued to rent SUVs despite the fact neither of us ever decided to use the backseat for naps when the other was driving. When Braun drove, I spent that time listening closely to hear him singing under his breath. When I was driving, I was chatty, trying to stay entertained.

Of course, us travelling together wasn’t the end of our hanging out together. Braun decided that, since we spent so much time on the road together, that our friendship should get promoted to being more than just an at-work friendship. On our off days, we would go to dinner and movies together, just hanging out and getting to know each other better.

By about the third week we were more comfortable with each other. And that’s when Braun started singing - loudly - along with the radio. He wouldn’t just sing along to songs you would expect him to sing. Rather, he sang along with everything. Country, pop, rock, rap. Everything. Nothing was off limits.

Usually, his singing didn’t bother me too much. I thought it was cute, honestly. He got so into it, focused so hard on getting the words right. But near the end of our fourth week riding together, I was in a mood. I had lost a match against Charlotte for what felt like the hundredth time. I was tired, annoyed, and it didn’t help I had heard the girls talking to a couple of the guys about how I was an outcast, how I didn’t fit in with any of them. And it hurt, of course it did, because I couldn’t help the fact I found it difficult to make friends. So here I was, climbing into the car with a scowl on my face, ignoring Braun and his characteristic huge smile.

Braun tried to start a conversation with me, quickly giving up when I just huffed and turned to look out of my window. He cleared his throat, turning on the radio and beginning to sing along. My frown got bigger and bigger, anger and annoyance and sadness all bubbling over as I fidgeted in my seat, trying not to say anything. But I couldn’t stop myself.

“Braun can you please just shut the fuck up?” I exploded, head whipping around to face him. His mouth was open, in the middle of a song, and he turned to me with concern in his eyes.

“What?” he asked, reaching for the radio to turn it off.

“You have to just be quiet, please,” I replied, running my hands through my hair.

“I didn’t ask you earlier but I should have,” he began, eyes glancing at the road before turning back to me. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing’s the matter! I just need you to shut up for like, a minute!” I knew my voice was shrill, knew I sounded crazy. But I just had so much swirling around in my head, I couldn’t stop myself from sounding absolutely crazy. Braun just scoffed, jerking the car into the exit for a rest area, pulling quickly into a parking spot. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Get in the back, we have some things to talk about,” Braun said, getting out of the driver’s seat to get in the back.

“No, we have somewhere to be,” I reminded him, not moving from my seat.

“And the faster you get back here so we can talk it out, so you have room to do whatever the fuck it is you need to; kick, hit, I don’t know, the faster we can get to where we need to be.” Braun wasn’t budging, sitting comfortably in the back as he waited for me.

“This is stupid,” I told him, finally climbing out of the passenger seat and into the back. “We could have this conversation in the front. Or, even better, not have this conversation at all.”

“It’s easier to have important conversations without things between you and the person you’re talking to,” Braun explained easily. “And I’m not riding with you when you’re obviously upset. We’re gonna talk about it. Now, what’s bothering you?”

“Nothing, I’m fine,” I spat, crossing my arms over my chest.

“No you’re not. Tell me what’s wrong. Is it the match tonight?” Braun prompted.

I stared at him, eyes narrowed. He didn’t look away, just waiting for me to answer his question. Finally, I sighed, hands once again running through my hair.

“Partly,” I muttered.

“What’s the whole story?” he asked.

“What’s the story with you and Dana?” I shot back. The two had been awkward, to say the least, when they ended up around each other.

“If I tell you, will you tell me?” Braun’s face was dead serious, eyes steely. I didn’t say anything, just nodded slightly and he sighed, shifting around to get more comfortable. “Fine. Dana and I…We were getting somewhere, or at least I thought we were. She was hanging around me a lot, riding with me, texting me constantly. But when I tried to approach something, she freaked out. Told me there was no way a girl like her would be with a guy like me, that she was using me to make someone else jealous. It worked, apparently, but she was a real pill about it.” His face settled into a pained scowl, eyes distant.

“Braun, that’s terrible. She doesn’t deserve you anyway, you’re too good for her,” I told him, reaching for his hand. I couldn’t believe Dana would treat him like that. Braun was one of the best guys on the roster, and he definitely didn’t deserve to be treated so terribly.

“It’s over now,” he said, eyes softening at me, turning his hand to hold onto mine. “Now, what’s wrong with you?”

“It’s stupid,” I muttered, biting on my lip.

“If it bothers you, it’s not stupid,” Braun assured me.

I sighed before launching into my spiel. “I’m tired of losing to Charlotte constantly. And I know it’s dumb, but I just hate that I can’t seem to win a match against her. And it’s been going on for so long, I feel like I’m just a joke. And then after my match, I was walking back to the locker room to grab my stuff and a bunch of the girls and guys were talking about how I wouldn’t last long here since I don’t fit in and I’m such an outsider. And trust me, I hate being so introverted and weird when it comes to making friends, alright? I hate it. I wish it were easier for me, but it’s not and to have them all talk about it like I was doing it on purpose, like I was a waste of their time? It hurts.” My breathing was harsh and ragged by the end of my rant, my face flushed. Braun’s grip on my hand had tightened over the course of my speaking, his eyes turning hard. “But it’s fine, not a big deal. I’m a big girl and all that,” I finally said, waving off the bad air that had filled the space since I had started talking.

It was silent, my hand still encased in Braun’s larger one when he moved across the seat, his lips falling to mine. I gasped and he took the opportunity to tangle our tongues together, his body pressing me back into the seat.

“They’re assholes, every single one of them,” Braun muttered, pulling back slightly. His hands were on my waist under my t shirt, fingers rubbing soothing circles on the exposed skin. “You don’t need to be friends with people who will talk shit about you behind your back. And you’re not a joke. You’re losing to Charlotte a lot now, but it’ll lead to a redemption arc. You’re a great wrestler, one of the best, and you’ll be champ before you know it. And you can do it without any of those assholes in the back.”

Braun’s eyes were so focused in on mine, my heart pounding in my chest as his words washed over me. I pressed my lips against his again, not knowing what to say in return to his speech. My arms were around his neck, my body moving against his. All I could think about was how much he meant to me, how much of an important factor in my life he had become over the weeks we’d spent together. And I wanted him, more than I’ve ever wanted anyone else in my life.

Braun finally pulled away from me, his eyes moving to focus on our surroundings, the cars and people milling around in the parking lot of the rest area. “We can’t do this here,” he told me, pressing a kiss to my flushed neck before sitting up. “Too many people. If you can just wait til the hotel-”

“I can wait,” I breathed, moving to kiss him once more. “Thank you for being there for me. When I didn’t think I needed anyone.”


End file.
